Ok, so my family has grown (2 kids), I traded the skunk for a geezer glide, and now I'm wanting more protection for my melon. I have only worn full face helmets back in my sport bike days and that was a long time ago. It's hot as hell here most of the year, so comfort in the heat is a major concern for me.

Last three years on Harley's I have only been wearing my old novelty helmet. I am overwhelmed by the helmet info as just looking to see what people recommend. Modular or full face and which brands etc. the shark evoline 3 looks good but so does the Shoei Qwest.

I've had FF before and liked them , Fulmer and Shoei RF1000 , preferred the Shoei over the Fulmer .. But last month I decided to get a modular , and ended up with the Nolan N104 , over the Evoline 3 , which BTW , I wanted going into this ..

This is what I did , since I have no one near here with the lids I want .. I went to revzilla.com and watched the videos on the helmets I was interested in , eventually I narrowed it to the Evoline 3 and the N104 ..
They do not try to sell you a particular helmet , they give very informative videos on each one and leave you to decide .

I went with the Nolan for several reasons .

Have had them in the past and really liked them
Wifey has a N100 , the first modular Nolan made , and she loves it . this is a woman who thinks FF isnt "cool" on a Harley ..
The N104 has better ventilation than the Evoline
VSP system ( sunshade that extends and retracts when needed )
anti fog gizmo ( a second visor that snaps into the inside of the main shield to prevent fogging )

I ride year round here , and used to only wear FF in winter and carry with me on long road trips .. I can easily see this helmet as a year round helmet..

I gave myself a five bill limit on this one , the Evo was at the top of the priceline at a bit over $400 from revzilla ..
I got the N104 Outlaw for $350 with the VSP lens and anti fog shield included with a helmet bag and free shipping with a free return policy
quite a few outfits charge you more for the helmet , then the things they included for me , you pay extra for ..
Go to Nolans website and you will see they still provide all the guts for the older helmets , which means something to me

I've had FF before and liked them , Fulmer and Shoei RF1000 , preferred the Shoei over the Fulmer .. But last month I decided to get a modular , and ended up with the Nolan N104 , over the Evoline 3 , which BTW , I wanted going into this ..

This is what I did , since I have no one near here with the lids I want .. I went to revzilla.com and watched the videos on the helmets I was interested in , eventually I narrowed it to the Evoline 3 and the N104 ..
They do not try to sell you a particular helmet , they give very informative videos on each one and leave you to decide .

I went with the Nolan for several reasons .

Have had them in the past and really liked them
Wifey has a N100 , the first modular Nolan made , and she loves it . this is a woman who thinks FF isnt "cool" on a Harley ..
The N104 has better ventilation than the Evoline
VSP system ( sunshade that extends and retracts when needed )
anti fog gizmo ( a second visor that snaps into the inside of the main shield to prevent fogging )

I ride year round here , and used to only wear FF in winter and carry with me on long road trips .. I can easily see this helmet as a year round helmet..

I gave myself a five bill limit on this one , the Evo was at the top of the priceline at a bit over $400 from revzilla ..
I got the N104 Outlaw for $350 with the VSP lens and anti fog shield included with a helmet bag and free shipping with a free return policy
quite a few outfits charge you more for the helmet , then the things they included for me , you pay extra for ..
Go to Nolans website and you will see they still provide all the guts for the older helmets , which means something to me

JtB

Thanks for your input, was in the revzilla website all night last night and part of this morning. I am looking for a year round helmet for south FL weather that will be easy to integrate a good comm system in the future, whatever I end up getting wifey will get one too. She's just happy I'm looking at helmets period, lol.

If safety is your primary concern, stay away from modular. By any brand. Modulars are cool, and seem useful, but they cannot offer the same protection. Plus they are very loud compared to non-modular helmets, it's their nature.

I own 9 helmets. I am a freak about them honestly. The best I've ever owned are my two Bell RS-1's. The protection is top-tier. The comfort is out of this world, it's like the interior is made of cashmere. Its also one of the lightest weight helmets out there. I live in South Florida, and these flow more air than any other helmet I've tried.

Here's a review I wrote for another forum last year when I got my first one:

Quote:

Before I get off on a roll here, I have to give serious praise to Jason. Not just for being the cool dude that he always is, and for the exceptionally great prices (as per usual), but for really taking his time with me on this order.

I'm a pain in the ass.

But I had my heart set on the Bell Star Hess. I'm one of those who typically buys the best that I can, and a few friends said that I'd like the Bell Star even more than my Shoei RF-1100... and to me that is a BOLD statement because the Shoei is the best I've ever had.

See here's where Jason makes a difference (at least for me)... he gets to know you, and remembers you when you order time and time again. He KNEW I wouldn't fit in the Star properly, and suggested the RS-1 instead. "Cool" I thought, but i really want a freakin Star... but I deferred to Jason's knowledge because he has yet to steer me wrong.

I ordered all 4 lids and accessories on Friday, two large boxes arrived today (fast as always IMO), and I tore into them like a freak.

I won't bore you with all of the details of the contents, but rather jump ahead to the FREAKIN RS-1....

Pseudo-Review:

Bell RS-1 Steam Punk

Ok, so I pull it out of the box and was disappointed that you don't get the deluxe helmet bag, just a standard helmet sock. Whatever, petty in the long run to be unhappy about that really.

I take the helmet out of the sock (grrrr) and was pleasantly surprised... it's a matte finished helmet! I know, I know... pretty damn evident in the pics, but for whatever reason I saw it as a shiny black in the pics. I'm happy because it fits the matte motif of my Stealth Gixxer. So... yay!

I slid it over my ugly ass melon and HOLY HELL... I have absolutely NEVER felt a more comfortable, more luxurious interior in my life. WTF is in there, cashmere??? My Shoei is totally fine, but it feels like the liner is made of Brillo pads by comparison! The weight is wonderfully light, the peripheral view is ample, the interior is snug, but I feel no pressure points at all. The chin bar is set far enough forward that I don't feel cramped, hell... I could stick my tongue out and not touch anything. I'm not saying that this is how you should test fit a helmet you freaks... just sayin' it is damn roomy in there.

All of the vents feel solid in each position, and are easy to operate.

Well, time to hit the road... I was excited like a little schoolgirl.

I've heard the RS-1 flowed slightly less air than the RF-1100... not so. This thing flows distinctly better than my RF-1100. I'm not saying that it is night and day, but it is very noticeable.

Did I mention how insanely comfortable this lid is?? Dayum.

Noise at 80mph is a tad less than my Shoei, way less than my Scorpion EXO-900 (to be expected), and less than my Akuma Stealth.

Aerodynamics are awesome. Seemingly cut through the wind. No issues at ALL doing a head-check. Works equally well sitting straight up on my cruiser as it does at 3/4 and full tuck on a sportbike. Airflow is good in all 3 positions as well, and you don't hear that often.

I also noticed that I was able to more easily turn my head (and turn it further) with this lid on than others I have previously worn. Maybe it's just me, but I did notice this tonight.

I still love my Shoei, but it now falls to a second place after the RS-1. I am in absolute love with this one. I almost don;t even want to test ride my other new helmets at this point! :wacko

I will certainly be buying another RS-1 very soon. Probably the Born Free design... how kick-ass is that??

A little side note on the transitions shield.

Just like the actual Transitions eyeglass lenses (of which I have several pair with them), they get PERFECTLY clear, but not very dark. Odd though.. I felt very "comfortable" in the direct sun with it. It tints to what I'd call "medium dark", not as dark as a dark smoke shield. However... I never squinted or felt bothered... i felt cool and comfortable in there. I was taking notice of the fact that it wasn't tinting that dark.. yet as I was making the observation, I realized that I was totally comfortable. I wonder if now all of my dark smoke shields might feel TOO dark? We'll see.

Is it worth $130? To me, yes. At least twice a week I leave in the morning in bright South Florida sunlight to come home later in total darkness... and I am reallllly tired of going home mid-day for lunch ONLY to switch shields anticipating my evening ride. Now those days are done forever. So it performs for me, and was worth the expense.

So again, thanks Jason, you done me good on ALL 4 of my new lids for fit, even though I doubted you on the S&S... you still freakin' nailed it brother. I owe you once again.

You just missed a huge sale by one day at STG. They had Bell Stars (Bells top end) $700 lids for $299. But check them again because I bet they'll do another nice sale for Cyber Monday.

I was close to buying a Shark Evoline 3 (the new one) but after seeing enough crash pics of modular helmets, I have decided to stay away from them forever. Plus, the airflow on all modulars are crap... manufacturers say they don't put as much effort in the ventilation because you can open the front of the helmet... well, I'm wearing it for safety, so I am not riding with the front open. All that plus modulars are so damn heavy in comparison, especially when they start adding flipdown sun visors and crap.

The key to beating high heat states is the total package. Once I began to wear CycleGear's HEAT-OUT skull cap and undershirts... the majority of my hot weather riding concerns were gone. Plus my Bell flows air so well that I am a lot less uncomfortable than I used to be.

my understanding with the Nolan is you have to use their comm systems .. I'm going to get the Nolan comm system for the Harley that plugs in with the cord just like the Harley set does ..

a couple things I like about the Nolan comm system is the mike is inside the helmet and much smaller , and the cord between the helmet and jack on the bike is longer than the Harley cord which stretches and pulls on the plugs .

also I use the BT thru my GPS a good bit and I think the boom mike hangin off yer helmet looks funky

If safety is your primary concern, stay away from modular. By any brand. Modulars are cool, and seem useful, but they cannot offer the same protection. Plus they are very loud compared to non-modular helmets, it's their nature.

I own 9 helmets. I am a freak about them honestly. The best I've ever owned are my two Bell RS-1's. The protection is top-tier. The comfort is out of this world, it's like the interior is made of cashmere. Its also one of the lightest weight helmets out there. I live in South Florida, and these flow more air than any other helmet I've tried.

Here's a review I wrote for another forum last year when I got my first one:

You just missed a huge sale by one day at STG. They had Bell Stars (Bells top end) $700 lids for $299. But check them again because I bet they'll do another nice sale for Cyber Monday.

I was close to buying a Shark Evoline 3 (the new one) but after seeing enough crash pics of modular helmets, I have decided to stay away from them forever. Plus, the airflow on all modulars are crap... manufacturers say they don't put as much effort in the ventilation because you can open the front of the helmet... well, I'm wearing it for safety, so I am not riding with the front open. All that plus modulars are so damn heavy in comparison, especially when they start adding flipdown sun visors and crap.

The key to beating high heat states is the total package. Once I began to wear CycleGear's HEAT-OUT skull cap and undershirts... the majority of my hot weather riding concerns were gone. Plus my Bell flows air so well that I am a lot less uncomfortable than I used to be.

Guess I should just come over to your place and try stuff on, lol!

Thanks for the very informative response, and for throwing a monkey wrench in everything.

Today I was able to try on Dbell6253's Shoei Qwest helmet, and man it's been years since I wore a FF helmet, but this thing fit like a glove, so I will have to see if I can find a place that has the Qwest and the RS-1 to try them on and compare. I liked his Blue Tooth setup too, very slick indeed. I'm not set on a modular for the reasons you state, after my first response I did some more research and saw some of the crash stuff with them and was not sold at all, if my chin and face are still going to be in danger then I may as well stick to the beanie helmet I have that is more than 12 years old, lol.

Decisions, decision, Dave said Cycle Gear has good prices and a good stock so I will see when I can make it up there and check out some helmets.

+1 on Cycle Gear Gabe. I've bought helmets from them before, and they have a great selection. I think it's important to try a bunch of helmets before you buy, and that's the reason I haven't bought many helmets on line (unless it was a replacement for one that I had already worn). Also, they have a 7 day trial period which allows you to use the helmet in real world conditions, i.e., when you are riding around. I had to return one helmet because even though it felt OK in the store, I just thought I needed a bit more room, so I traded for a bigger size just to confirm that, and ended up staying with the bigger size. And, their prices are very reasonable.

+1 on Cycle Gear Gabe. I've bought helmets from them before, and they have a great selection. I think it's important to try a bunch of helmets before you buy, and that's the reason I haven't bought many helmets on line (unless it was a replacement for one that I had already worn). Also, they have a 7 day trial period which allows you to use the helmet in real world conditions, i.e., when you are riding around. I had to return one helmet because even though it felt OK in the store, I just thought I needed a bit more room, so I traded for a bigger size just to confirm that, and ended up staying with the bigger size. And, their prices are very reasonable.

I responded to your PM, I'm happy to get together for you to see the RS-1, no problem.

CycleGear is a great spot, but you'll save a lot more money ordering from STG. Once you decide what you want, I'll hook you up with my guy Jason at STG and you'll get even better prices than they show on their website ;-)